As China continues its rise as a world power, we are reminded of the history of China’s rise and unification some two-thousand plus years ago. After all, China didn’t get to be the “middle kingdom” just by luck. Quite the opposite. China emerged as a powerful, unified nation due to a series of intra-state conflicts and conquests led by China’s first emperor, Qin Shi Huang (秦始皇). Whether you approve of or despise his methods, he unified the mainland–a seemingly impossible task, given the sheer landmass and diversity of populations within. Here’s a brief background of the man that started it all.

The First Emperor
Qin Shi Huang or Ying Zheng (嬴政), was king of the Chinese Qin Dynasty from 246 BC to 221 BC during the Warring States Period. He became the first emperor or 皇帝 (huáng dì) of a unified China in 221 BC. He ruled until his death in 210 BC at the age of 49.

Calling himself the First Emperor (始皇帝 is a literal translation) after China’s unification, Qin Shi Huang is a pivotal figure in Chinese history, ushering nearly two millennia of imperial rule. After unifying China, through brutal wars and conquests, Qin passed a series of major economic and political reforms that helped create a Chinese meritocracy and elite class. He also created an infrastructure required for unification of the massive mainland.

Among his gigantic projects, Qin built the first version of the Great Wall of China, the now famous city-sized mausoleum guarded by a life-sized Terracotta Army (click here for a previous blog post on the Terra Cotta Warriors), and a massive national road system, all at the expense of numerous lives. To ensure stability, Qin Shi Huang outlawed and burned many books, as well as buried some scholars alive. Much like Mao, he was steadfast in his belief of a unified nation, and used any means necessary to achieve that goal.

While historians view Qin as either a brutal and bloody dictator, or a Machiavellian statesman doing anything and everything in his power to reach unity and peace, the fact remains that Qin Shi Huang was responsible for the bloodiest and subsequently most peaceful eras in Chinese history. His goal, to bring all of the “middle kingdom” under the banner of one China, was led in part by his creation of a larger-than-life figure (emperor) achieving his goals through a “mandate from heaven”. Question this mandate almost always spelled certain death.

During his rule as emperor, Qin Shi Huang was accosted by a plethora of assassins from newly unified territories, due to his brutal policies and conquest/annexation of foreign territories. As the number of attemps on his life increased, Qin Shi Huang was forced to become more reclusive and wary of anyone outside his inner circle. The attempts on Qin Shi Huang’s life are well documented and has even manifested within Chinese pop culture and literature.

The most famous example: Hero or 英雄 (yīng xióng) starring Jet Li. If you’d like a stylized and visually-stimulating movie directed by Johny Mou, then I highly suggest watching this. It blends kung fu, history and art in a way that I found most enjoyable.